Place hot water in a bowl large enough to accommodate the rice paper. Quickly dip the rice paper, for about 10 seconds, and place it on a large cutting board. It should be throughly wet but stiff. Don’t worry it will soften as you proceed.

Take about 1/8 of cup noodles (or more to taste), a few pieces of cucumber, 1 slice of tofu, a few spinach leaves, 1 or 2 basil leaves, a sliver of avocado, and a sprinkling of garlic, if using. Place ingredients on the rice paper. Roll.

Here is a helpful video showing you how to roll the fresh spring rolls.

The spring rolls can be eaten with any type of sauce from Thai peanut sauce to plain soy sauce. It’s especially delicious with coconut aminos.

I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when my friend and health coach Julie Viellieu suggested that I take a four day cleanse. A bout of inactivity due to a new job, not only slowed me down but changed how I was eating on a daily basis; I cooked and exercised less and it didn’t feel good.

A cleanse is like a dietary do-over. It gives your digestive system an opportunity to heal. There are many cleanses out there claiming to do everything from promote weight loss to balancing chakras. I don’t know what a chakra is but I did like the idea of detoxifying my gut and maybe losing a couple of pounds along the way. Julie assured me that weight loss was not the main by product of this cleanse. She was right, it was so much more.

After four day of cleanse, I benefited in the following ways:

I didn’t crave sugar

I didn’t feel hungry between meals

I slept better

I was hydrated

I lost a couple of pounds (again not the goal, but still nice)

I’m not going to recreate the cleanse here but you can visit Julie’s video blog for a peek into Day 1 instructions. I reconnected with how my body relates to food and that information is invaluable in moving forward with my health goals. Short of obvious unhealthy habits like eating cake everyday, I believe most of us are unaware of the affect our food choices have on our bodies. A cleanse is an excellent way to begin new healthy habits.

Wash the split yellow mung beans and rice together until water runs clear. Heat a large pot on medium heat and add all spices (except bay leaves) and dry roast for a few minutes. Add mung beans and rice and stir again. Add water and bay leaves and fresh ginger root, bring to boil. Boil for 10 minutes. Turn heat to low, cover and cook until beans become soft (approx. 30 minutes). Add salt to taste.

Most people buy pre-roasted chicken because it’s convenient. There’s nothing wrong with convenience, but it just doesn’t taste very good. So, for the love, ditch the chicken with a handle and roast it at home! It tastes better, contains less salt, and contributes to your overall popularity because all the cool kids are doing it.

The chicken recipe below existed as a newspaper clipping from 15 or so years ago. I don’t know where it came from anymore, but it works every time.

Note: Follow the recipe exactly. I’m talking to you ninja recipe warriors who are eager to wield formidable recipe enhancing skills. Don’t do it. Not this time. In particular, size is important. The chicken must weigh between 3-4 lbs. I went ninja once using a large chicken because I was serving more than four people. It doesn’t work. If you need more meat, make two chickens.

This summer, I planted heirloom tomatoes in place of grape tomatoes, exchanging dainty clusters of flawless red for heavy, rebellious orbs that pull at the plant as if in protest of the support it provides. As they matured, they developed thick lacerations and unsightly gouges which would have made me think they were dying if it weren’t for the similarly gnarled tomatoes I purchased from the farmer’s market last year.

I expected ugly. Happily, my homegrown heirloom tomatoes are hideous and edible. When sliced, they release a luscious perfume of bright sunshine and moist soil.

Make the following tomato salad with the freshest, ugliest tomatoes you can find.

Stir in shredded coconut, cherries, and chocolate chips and mix. Cover and chill in the refrigerator (optional).

Drop heaping teaspoons of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle a few granules of Kosher salt on each bit of cookie dough (be light handed).

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 – 12 minutes until the cookies are golden. After removing the cookies from the oven, let them rest for 1 minute before transferring them to a cooling rack.

*Place sweetened shredded coconut on a rimmed metal baking pan and toast in the oven at 350 degrees. Be sure to mix the coconut every few minutes to prevent burning. Let cool before adding to cookie dough.

Everyday for the past three weeks or so I’ve been eating avocado toast for breakfast and sometimes for lunch too. Like listening to a favorite song repeatedly, my food cravings tend to stick with me. This one has already lasted longer than the Great Falafel Infatuation of ’91. I want you to love avocado toast as much as I do, so don’t substitute any ingredients until you try it first as described below. You’re welcome.

I hate being cold, so this season’s subzero temperatures changed the way I experience winter; I hate it even more. Life in the polar vortex looks like this: Layered clothing is my new go-to outfit; I occasionally think about what it would be like to freeze to death; I know where all the blankets are; I make soup.

Lentil Soup with Artichoke Heart is super easy and adaptable to whatever ingredients you happen to have available. This version was made with boxed chicken broth, mature carrots, limp celery and an unfortunate onion. I’ll risk frostbite for milk, eggs, or cake (okay, only cake) but rarely for soup veggies. To me, the only must-have ingredient here is the marinated artichoke heart. It gives the soup a subtle lemony flavor that I can’t do without. However, if you must, a teaspoon of lemon juice can be substituted for the artichoke. No lemon? It’s cold out there. Make something else.

Add chicken stock, diced tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add lentils, artichokes hearts and bring to a second boil. Turn heat to low. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until lentils are tender. Add chopped parsley a few minutes before serving. Season with salt and pepper.

My Peanut Chews addiction started when I was a kid in Philadelphia where every grocery store was my supplier. Confession: I can eat an entire package by myself in under two minutes. Okay, two packages.

The Midwest has been my home for eight years; there are no Peanut Chews here. Apparently, 60% of Peanut Chews sales come from Philadelphia and 30% from New York while the remainder comes from chains like Cracker Barrel and Rite Aid.

When our family is on a long car ride heading east, every time we pass a Cracker Barrel restaurant I think three things in this exact order: peanut chews, clean bathrooms, a nice lunch. Happily, Cracker Barrel carries a variety of hard-to-find candies especially for those of us who suffer from road trip induced nostalgia.

I’m not alone in my yearning for these rectangular confections. As of this writing, the Peanut Chews Facebook page has 4,743 likes and plenty of activity. Look at the page; most of the comments are like little love notes – love notes for candy. People are thrilled when they discover them.

It’s difficult to describe their taste because I’m certain that what I taste has nothing to do with the ingredients in the candy. Mostly, I taste childhood; the thrill of scoring several packs in my Halloween bag, a satisfying after-school snack with milk, a good reason to ride my bike to the store with friends.

Peanut Chews come with some history of their own. In 1917, David Goldenberg, a Romanian immigrant, began selling walnut and molasses chews out of his candy store in Philadelphia. Later, in an effort to contain costs, peanuts were substituted for the walnuts. During World War I, Peanut Chews were given to U.S. military troops as ration bars. Peanut Chews remained a family owned business until 2003 when Goldenberg’s great grandson sold the company to the Just Born Candy Company. (They make chick-shaped marshmallow Peeps.)

So, how do they really taste? A delectable combination of roasted peanuts and molasses covered in chocolate, Peanut Chews aren’t overly sweet like other candy bars. The bar is optimistically divided into 8 bite-sized pieces which suggests that it should be shared. Who are they kidding? Buy them in bulk and find a good hiding spot.

I picked these up at the Downtown Evanston Farmers’ Market in Illinois. They looked so gorgeous in the vendor’s stall that I couldn’t bear to leave them behind. There are three kinds of onions here: baby leek, Tropea and spring onion. Although all three varieties had a similar flavor, the Tropea onions were somewhat sweeter and milder than the others.

This was my first impulse purchase involving onions and I didn’t have a plan. After almost a week in the refrigerator, they started to look less photogenic and I was forced to improvise. Sauteing them in olive oil with garlic and sea salt until they just began to caramelize, I served the onion mixture on top of pan-fried tilapia.

There are four pots on the deck each containing one plant: thyme, black cherry heirloom tomato, green pepper and sweet basil. Some years I dream big – a vegetable garden I can walk around in and delight neighbors with when I bring them an armful of zucchini for the second time in a week – a hero’s dream. But, I always end up with four pots on the deck. It’s okay because, realistically, the tiny garden is all I can handle. Occasionally, it’s plagued by voracious chipmunks, unexpected disease or benign neglect. No matter what happens, something survives and we eat it. This marinade uses the season’s first harvest of thyme.

Marinade (for chicken or fish)

3/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 chopped shallots

3 sprigs of fresh thyme (leaves stripped, include stems)

1 teaspoon salt

pepper to taste

Combine everything in a deep bowl. Add chicken or fish and marinate for at least one hour or overnight.

]]>https://garlictrampoline.wordpress.com/2013/07/24/marinade-from-the-tiny-garden/feed/0tinspringMarinade with Thyme